Cannon

Wally Wood created the Cannon spy adventure strip for the Army's Overseas Weekly newspaper. Since people in the army were adults, he could draw a strip containing adult elements (that is to say, naked chicks) and not worry about the censorship that plagued comic books and newspaper comic strips back in the day. So Cannon did things that made James Bond look like a sissy, and was the toughest MF the commies ever ran into (remember, this was done during the cold war years, when the greatest threat America had, was communism). For the first months Woody really outdid himself, as it features some of his best artwork ever. By the end of the strip's run though, Woody relies mostly on paste-up jobs (sometimes of his own work), and very contrasted photocopies of cars and buildings that look like an inked drawing. Towards the end, you can see that his heart wasn't really into it anymore.The sad thing, for most of us Woody fans, was that to see this particular work you had to be in the army, as there was no other way of seeing it. Luckily for me I lived in France back then, and Woody's work was being reprinted over there thanks to Fershid Bharucha who was a big fan of some American comic book artists (such as Woody, Corben and Berni Wrightson), and published most of their work in Europe (well, at least in France). So I actually knew Cannon and Sally Forth before many other American comic book fans did. That said, when Cannon was finally collected for the first time as a softcover book by Fantagraphics, it was in its original black and white (in France it was colored) and in a rather large size (10,5 x 13').That was not too long ago, as the book came out in 2001. Now, Fantagraphics announce the book again, as a hardcover this time, and being "the biggest collection of Cannon, ever" (those are Fantagraphics' words, by the way). I don't know what they mean by "biggest", as the strips have the same wide format as the previous book, only this time instead of publishing it as a portrait (or vertical) format consisting of four rows of strips or panels per page (as it appeared in the army newspaper), they've printed each page with only two rows of panels (or cut down each page in half, if you prefer). While this isn't necessarily a problem, if Woody had kept drawing four rows of panels per page, it does present a problem with a particular page, which would be strip number 94 of the original format (and pages 188-89 in this book). For this page, Woody outdid himself and drew a big vertical panel covering three quarters of the left-side of the page. I remember this particular page, because it features a huge drawing of a naked girl talking on the phone. As each page is cut in half, it means that this panel had to be chopped as well, which Fantagraphics does almost unapologetically, offering us instead a stamp-sized image of what the page looked like in it's original format. Call this what you may, but to me it's a form of censorship (though I know they didn't do it for those reasons). The thing is that you should choose a format to publish your book accordingly. What is the purpose of printing the Mona Lisa in a landscape format, if you have to leave out two-thirds of the image because it doesn't quite fit the format? Of course, Fantagraphics is going to say it's only a panel, so who cares? Well I do!Also included, though printed very small, are the two Cannon stories Woody did for the proposed Heroes Inc comic books which apparently were never sold in newsstands, though I managed to get a copy of the first issue, that I believe was the only of the two issues ever published!That said, the only reason for buying this book again, for those who like me already had the previous edition, is that the artwork looks much better now. While in the previous book the mid-tones (done with zip-a-tone) came out too dark and muddy looking, they've fixed the problem, and it comes out much clearer. So it's up to you whether you want to buy it again (it's just like those cd's they keep remastering every ten years over and over again).However, for those who have never heard about Cannon, but have heard of Wally Wood, this book is a must! But be aware that Cannon features lots of naked broads and violent action. In other words, it's not meant for kiddies (though the sex isn't hardcore either). It's a product of its time though, featuring tough men and slutty girls, which pc-minded people might find offensive now, but was hilarious back then.I knock off a star for what they did to strip 94, as I explained earlier, and for telling us it's the biggest book yet, when in fact it's the same size as before. It's a pity American publishers don't print these books at an even larger size, but Woody's inking is so clean that even at a stamp-size it can be "read" (but that's not an excuse for printing small).

If you like Wally Wood you'll like this book. 👍🏻

As most of us know, Wood self-published a 4-volume paperback collection of these strips in the 1970s. Fantagraphics' reprint is actually superior. The blacks are blacker, the paper is better, it's hardback and the overall clarity of Wood's outstanding artwork is superior in this new book. Not to mention, each strip measures 2 7/8" x 9 1/2", as opposed to Wood's original publications' measurements of 2 1/2" x 8 1/2". So it's an absolute 5-star production. EXCEPT... Incredibly, Fantagraphics took it upon themselves to edit one of the best panels, see pgs. 188-189. Diego Cordoba has mentioned it in his review. I almost didn't buy this book because of it, but caved in because the rest of the book is so great. A vertical, 3-panel nude has been edited to fit the horizontal elongated pages of this book, so that only her head appears. Fantagraphics throws us a bone by including a postage-stamp sized repro of the original page. All they had to do was turn the panel sideways. If they were concerned about breaking the "story" sequence (not much of a story- the draw of course is Wood's art), they could've at least included the full panel somewhere in the appendix. This blunder is almost as bad as leaving the last page out of "The Forbidden Room" in the Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 3. Except in this case they're playing it off like they did it intentionally. "For this edition of Cannon we chose to alter the way in which the material was originally presented... where the unavoidable alteration proved more intrusive than we would have liked..." Right. I can't believe they would knowingly do this... I'm inclined to think it was a mistake that somebody caught later, and tried to justify... Why would a publisher knowingly take the best sizable nude in a Wood art book and cut it down to the head only??? Unless somebody forgot that it was there?? Maybe they chose the format before they realized that there was a 3-panel-tall vertical nude included in the mix. Even so, all they had to do was turn the panel sideways and include it on the next page, or at the very least include it in the back of the book. Come on, Fantagraphics! I would've given the book 3 stars, but the slightly oversized strips and nice printing bump it up to a begrudging 4.

As a huge fan of Black & White art, this is some of the best I've ever seen! Wallace Woods is at his very best here, drawing everything from simple conversations to exciting, well-paced action sequences to the many, many, MANY panels featuring the female form in all it's glory (but always making sure to strategically cover that hairy part down in front - it's actually pretty amusing) with a steady hand and very deliberate focus. Not always the most detailed, admittedly, but detailed where it matters.This was originally serialized in weekly strips many decades ago, which you can kind of see in the pacing of the story itself, but ultimately it reads like a 1960's Bond-esque action film (or series of films), which is in and of itself very entertaining. There are a few typos here and there, but I love the fact that those weren't corrected for this oversized hardcover (coffee table?) edition and instead left in so that this amazing piece of art can be displayed as it truly was and is (warts and all, as they say), and in my opinion I think the slight flaws help to better emphasize everything else in this fantastic book.If you love action, suspense, and more naked women than you can shake your stick at (ha ha... I'm sorry.), then Cannon is for you. The cover price $35 is well worth it for this quality and caliber of product, and Amazon usually charges less so do yourself a favor and get this marvelous book while it's still in print.

Once again Fantagraphics delivered, a nice chunky handful of WOOD`s more mature art in glorious b/w, nearly 300 pages of savage sexy action with spies and bad guys with the odd sexy dame thrown in, like every page, some pages remind me of his Tower days and also his work for Marvel, but there again who ever pencils, roughs whatever once WOODY lays down his ink, it becomes his, result: MAGIC, oh yes I did say b/w but there is a nice surprise on the back pages, just get it now.

Great style and ink work by Wallace Wood, this is a titillating comic book for the American G.I of the 1970's. Cannon is the least interesting thing in it. He's frustratingly dull and humourless unlike his British cousin, James Bond, but don't let that put you off - It's all about beautiful ink drawings of beautiful, naked women - mixed in with some good old anti-communism and manly guy stuff; guns, suits and action - it conveys a cold war world in which women, be they friend or foe, have a hard time keeping their clothes on, no matter the circumstances. a visual feast, worth having on your coffee table.

ok, split review:1) Wally Wood art is amazing, and I love it. what a fantastic Sequential Art piece, so that alone, buy the book2) the book itself? I like it. it is horizontal, instead of the normal vertical, and is well bound, beautiful black and white book, high quality.Buy with Confidence!

Für Fans von James Bond-artiger Agenten-Action, die sich an übertrieben viel Nackheit vollbusiger Frauen nicht stören. Herrliche Sammlung dieses 70er-Jahre-Juwels.

L'artiste dont il s'agit ayant disparu depuis plus de 30 ans, il n'est pas inutile à l'attention des jeunes générations de rappeler avec l'aide de wikipedia que Wallace Allan Wood (1927-1981) fut un dessinateur, un scénariste, un encreur et un éditeur indépendant de comic books, dont les principaux succès commerciaux ont été son travail pour le magazine "Mad" chez EC Comics (pendant 12 ans) et son intervention décisive pour la définition du personnage de Daredevil chez Marvel Comics.Mort suicidé à l'âge de 54 ans au moment où son corps le lâchait du fait de son addiction au travail et à certaines substances (tabac, alcool, "you name them"), Wood laisse une oeuvre protéiforme et véritablement inachevée. BD comiques, western, guerre, super-héros, espions, érotisme, science-fiction, horreur, capés etc. il a tout fait, dans un style à la fois très classique au plan graphique (Al Foster et Alex Raymond me paraissent être des références non usurpées), facilement délirant au plan du scénario et globalement reconnaissable entre mille.En relation avec la "Wallace Wood Properties LLC", qui veille sur le patrimoine artistique de cet auteur de légende, Fantagraphics réédite à nouveau l'intégralité des planches de "Cannon" conçues par WW pour le périodique "Overseas Weekly", destiné de 1950 à 1975 aux militaires américains en mission hors de leur pays."Cannon" a été publié de 1970 à 1973, à raison d'une planche 4 bandes, N&B, par semaine. Pour des raisons obscures, Fantagraphics a opté ici pour la reproduction de l'ensemble dans un album demi-format, à raison d'une demi page par page.John Cannon est un militaire américain qui a subi des services de la Chine communiste dirigés par Mme Toy un lavage de cerveau pour devenir un tueur à la solde des Rouges. Récupéré par les forces US, il est l'objet d'un traitement destiné à annihiler le lavage de cerveau. Le traitement réussit si bien que Cannon retrouve ses repères démocratiques mais perd tout sentiment. Il devient l'agent secret idéal des étatsuniens face aux forces de l'Est et aux résurgences nazies.Mais Cannon est un véritable aimant à belles filles à forte poitrine et à forte propension à se déshabiller ou à rester nues à longueur de pages... D'aimant à amant, il n'y a qu'une chose droite comme un "I"... Au bout d'un certain temps, ce régime forcené à base de sport horizontal va faire que Cannon va retrouver des sentiments et devenir moins fiable pour ses employeurs.Le feuilleton est continu et on passe sans pause ou presque d'une aventure à l'autre, face à Mme Toy mais aussi la soviétique Eve Smith, un certain AH survivant en Amérique du Sud, un gourou gauchiste, un savant fou, un géant karatéka etc.Cannon trouve de l'aide auprès de collègues tels que "Weasel", Simms et Finn, ce dernier ayant tous les traits de... Wally Wood !Il y a des rebondissements nombreux, y compris dans la vie professionnelle et personnelle de Cannon, qui font que le récit est moins "léger" et "inconséquent" qu'il peut y paraître au départ...A noter la présence de nombreuses carrosseries... automobiles européennes (britanniques, allemandes, suédoises...), parfaitement rendues.Les dernières pages reproduisent les planches couleurs du Cannon tel que conçu par Wood et Steve Ditko dès 1969 et tel que repris par les mêmes en 1976 pour leur projet de périodique "Heroes, Inc."Howard Chaykin, qui a travaillé pour WW, expédie le mot d'introduction. Une bio figure à la fin de l'ouvrage."Eye Candy" à plus d'un titre (il me semble que WW a eu une influence jusque dans une certaine catégorie de BD érotiques italiennes...), malgré quelques planches parfois expédiées (un problème de temps ? un préposé aux "breakdowns" mois doué ?), Cannon est une lecture estivale parfaite !